To help you make an informed vote on the Flint five-year, 6.0-mill tax for police and fire protection, we've asked both sides to submit their arguments on why voters should pass or fail the measure on Nov. 6. Here is an argument against the proposal from Flint City Councilman Scott Kincaid:

The first concern with the
Public Safety millage is how it was put on the ballot by Emergency Manager
Mike Brown during his last few hours holding power under public act 4. There
was no input on the ballot language by police officers, fire fighters, city council members, and most important, the public.

Since December of last year, residents and businesses have seen dramatic increases in the amount of fees they
have to pay. Double digit increases in water and sewer rates, a new street
lighting fee, and increased fees for waste collection. Residents and businesses
in our community cannot afford any more fees and taxes.

Public safety is a major
priority for my colleagues on the city council and me. But at some point, the emergency manager's desire to continually increase taxes and fees will force
businesses and residents to leave our community.

Just look at our
neighborhoods. The problems here are not unique. Nearly every community in Michigan is facing dwindling revenue. But we can't tax ourselves out of this problem. I believe the State of Michigan's plan for communities like ours
is to continually cut state shared revenue while emergency managers raise fees,
raise taxes and cut services.

Another concern is the language of
the public safety millage. The language is not clear on what increased services
it will provide. The emergency manager has been vague about how the dollars will
increase service for the police and fire departments.

The emergency manager should
provide a comprehensive public safety plan for the length of time the millage
will be collected and explain how the 5.4 million dollars collected the first
year will be spent before I can support it. The plan should spell out how many
police officers will be patrolling our streets and responding to 911 calls, how
the fire department will be staffed and how many fire stations will be opened.

Based on the emergency manager's
administration, especially his personnel spending, I have no confidence in his
handling the increased revenue this millage would generate. Look at the
numbers: two police chiefs at more than $225,000 and an assistant fire chief at
more than $100,000. Do we really need three chiefs?

Keep in mind, if this millage is
to benefit citizens by adding more police officers and fire fighters, why are police officers and fire fighters not supporting this millage? Is it because it
really only benefits the emergency manager?

Public safety is necessary to
sustain quality neighborhoods. Our priorities must change to ensure every
dollar available goes toward maintaining our police and fire departments.

I'm committed to public safety.
I live here just like you, and I pay taxes, too. I see the struggles of our
seniors on a fixed income and young families trying to provide for their
children.

I know how they feel about higher taxes and fees, unlike the emergency manager who makes $170,000 plus benefits and lives in Lansing.

These are my concerns and my explanation
as to why I cannot support the Public Safety Millage.